I’m gonna be honest. This easy homemade condiment recipe was in my last cookbook. This recipe is on my website. And this recipe is in this cookbook. Can you guess why? Because it’s that good! It’s a game-changer. This olive oil-based mayo can be used as a creamy base for so many dressings, dips, and sauces, you’re definitely going to want to keep it handy. As an added bonus, it’s so fun to make!–Michelle Smith

CAN I USE OTHER OILS?

While we love the grassy flavor of olive oil, we realize it’s not for everyone. Use the lightest tasting olive oil you can find or if you’re really not fond of the flavor of olive oil, you can substitute part or all of the oil with a mild vegetable oil.

A small dish filled with one minute mayo on a white cloth with a knife lying beside it.

One Minute Mayonnaise

5 / 7 votes
This one minute mayo whips up into a dreamy, creamy emulsion, perfect for slathering on everything. And the magic happens with just a jar and an immersion blender, which means there’s no need to haul out any heavy appliances or do a lot of dishes.
David Leite
CourseCondiments
CuisineAmerican
Servings20 tablespoons (1 1/4 cups)
Calories99 kcal
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes

Equipment

  • Immersion blender

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup extra-light-tasting olive oil* (see NOTE above)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • In a tall, wide-mouthed pint-size mason jar or similar container, combine the olive oil, egg, mustard, lemon juice, and salt. Let the ingredients settle while you plug in your immersion blender.
  • Place an immersion blender in the liquid in the jar, directly over the egg yolk. You want the immersion blender to be at the bottom of your jar. This is very important. Do not attempt to plunge the immersion blender into the oil while it is running. You will not make mayo. Trust us. We’ve tried.
  • Blend, without moving the blender, for 5 seconds to begin to emulsify the oil and egg, then very slowly move the blender up and down until the oil and egg are fully emulsified, about 30 seconds more.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: If your immersion blender has multiple speeds, use low speed for emulsifying your mayo.

  • Taste, and add a dash more lemon juice, if desired. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Adapted From

The Whole Smiths Real Food Every Day

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 tablespoonCalories: 99 kcalCarbohydrates: 0.04 gProtein: 0.3 gFat: 11 gSaturated Fat: 2 gMonounsaturated Fat: 8 gTrans Fat: 0.001 gCholesterol: 9 mgSodium: 36 mgFiber: 0.01 gSugar: 0.02 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe © 2020 Michelle Smith. Photo © 2020 Michelle Smith. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

This one minute mayo is fast, fool-proof, and ridiculously easy. This works so well and gives you silky, luscious homemade mayo in minutes. Definitely the stuff of aioli dreams!

My total time was 4 minutes and all of it was hands on. Large eggs are standard at 50g and my Dijon weighed 6g. Couldn’t get a weight on the salt (too light) but it was Diamond kosher brand. I actually used my Pyrex glass 2-cup measuring cup and it worked perfectly. I measured the oil out and then added the ingredients to it and whizzed it up! No extra dish.

In step 2 it says to turn the blender on. I wasn’t sure if they wanted high or low speed so I went with low speed. It worked and the timing is accurate.

I got 1 ¼ cup of mayo as the final yield. It was quite good! I ended up adding 3/4 teaspoon more lemon juice to give it a bit more zing. This was so ridiculously easy and I love the results. Easier and less messy than making it in the food processor. This will be my go-to method from now on.

Wow, who knew you could whip up some one minute mayo with an immersion blender. I love how easy and quickly it came together. I appreciated an alternative to the slow drip of the oil into a food processor or blender, making this a much easier method for making the base of a red pepper or garlic aioli. And being able to make it in a jar that you can store it in, saves cleanup too!

The olive oil flavor turned out to be a little too pronounced for my liking, however. And I like olive oil; I guess just not in my mayo. I tried it in an egg salad, which certainly masked the flavor of the olive oil, so it didn’t go to waste. In the future, I’ll be using a more neutral oil to satisfy my palate.

I loved this recipe for one minute mayo. It was fast, simple, very little cleanup, and above all, delicious. I rarely use all olive oil and prefer a combination of olive oil and canola. I find that this keeps the taste fairly neutral so that I have more control over the final flavour.

I used this mayo in four ways over two days. I used it in egg salad and in order to really test the flavour it was only hard-boiled egg, mayo, touch of salt and pepper. I also made grilled cheese and used the mayo instead of butter. A simple salad dressing with the addition of white wine vinegar, a bit more Dijon, salt and pepper. Finally, a dipping sauce of one minute mayo and sambal olek. All were delicious. I’ll be making this often. Since this only lasts a week, I’ll keep a jar of store bought in the fridge but I don’t see myself using it often.

This one-minute mayo is a TC. The mayo is flavorful, fluffy, creamy, and spreadable. The recipe itself is fool-proof, easy, and quick.

I have tried to make mayo in the food processor in the past but it’s too much hassle and annoyance – it wasn’t worth it. Making mayo this way with the immersion blender in one of my wide-mouth mason jars is the only way I will make mayo going forward.

I ended up using ¾ cup olive oil and ¼ cup canola, because I didn’t have the extra-light olive oil. It definitely tasted like olive oil but not in a bad way. It added so much depth to the tuna salad and chicken salads that I made with this mayo. Yum!

This was my first foray into making mayonnaise at home and it won’t be my last. I used a regular olive oil on my first attempt and found it tasted just like olive oil. A trip to the store for a lighter olive oil yielded a second batch of actual tasty mayonnaise. It isn’t as thick as the store-bought stuff, but very nice. And it’s so easy to do. A couple minutes work and voila, one minute mayo!

Each batch yielded just over 1 cup. This is a recipe that is certainly worthy of repeating. Oh, and the first batch was saved by adding a little dry mustard, chopped onion, lemon juice and tarragon and we had a pretty good spread for sandwiches.

I think next time I will add a little more mustard. I do like a little zing in my mayo. It’s also good with herbs in it.

With only 5 ingredients you can prepare a fresh, tasty, creamy, healthy one-minute mayo. This is a recipe that you’ll repeat over and over and will never buy mayonnaise again. In just one minute, you have a perfect, foolproof emulsion, that won’t break, with a smooth texture and a strong but pleasant taste.

Being able to make a small batch of perfect one minute mayo in moments without using your blender is a brilliant hack, and with one or two important details, you can make a fresh batch when the first artichokes or asparagus or even your first roast turkey sandwich of the season arrives (I like mayonnaise on one side, cranberry on the other). I have had a go-to recipe for decades, but it did take a blender, a drizzling talent to add the oil bit by bit, and much more fuss (and mess) than I usually want.

So is this the elusive perfect instant method? Pretty much, and the devil is always in the details. Not all immersion blenders (or blend sticks) are quite the same but your immersion blender should have little feet (or even a rimmed hood) to keep the blade from touching the bottom of your container – you want to place the immersion blender offset feet ALL the way to touch the bottom, and the blades will then be resting on the top of the yolk to start. Just remember you are starting at the BOTTOM and as you see it turn opaque (3-5 seconds and magic is apparent), you then can lift it (and lower as necessary). My Bamix turned this into beautiful perfect mayonnaise in less than 15 seconds total. My early model Cuisinart probably would have taken the full 30 seconds (it had the flat rimmed hood and tended to suction onto the bottom of containers and it was not nearly as powerful in shearing force as the modern stick). A pint mason jar or equivalent is perfect for this batch, giving you enough room to work without excess airspace.

As it forms a nice, properly emulsified mayonnaise, pause to taste. I added more lemon and salt to my preference. If you wanted to incorporate herbs (or chopped capers), this would be a good time for that. This was a worthy accompaniment to fresh artichokes and I think it might disappear in a day or two…no worries that it will still be around a week from now.

If there isn’t a good offset (or like my older stick blender, it had a rim with undersized slots that tended to suction to the bottom), you may need to slightly lift it). I may have fired that tool just for the sad sucking sound.

For ANY immersion blender remember you always are starting at the bottom in order to emulsify. If you do NOT start at the bottom, the whole thing becomes a sad liquid that I have never successfully rescued (please don’t ask how many times I have sent my spouse off to target a gopher hole with discarded failure). I think if we can be VERY clear about how important it is to start at the bottom this method will be a revelation for home cooks, not a frustration. You want to be confident that you CAN whip this up just as you are about to serve some beautiful asparagus or ‘chokes and this recipe is a back pocket tool.

I LIKE the flavor of olive oil but I understand that is not universal, and a grassy precious one will not work for most applications. I use stronger EVOO for most cooking but for this, a milder oil blend worked well (Kirkland Signature Olive Oil 15% EVOO). 5 to 10 minutes, including gathering ingredients and remembering to unplug the blender stick before licking the beaters.




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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26 Comments

  1. I’ve just discovered this method myself very recently. I was skeptical because I’ve tried food processor mayo and the speed and heat produced a very bitter product. But I saw a video and had to give it a try and, low and behold, silky tasty mayo in a flash.

    I must say, I prefer French style with a couple yolks instead of a whole egg. I like to add some of Penzey’s Foxpoint seasoning (chives and green onion) as well.

    This method also works for a vinaigrette that will remain emulsified for weeks!

  2. In the accompanying photo at the top of the page it looks as if all of the oil was not incorporated. Or did it separate out?

    1. Around the edges, Rita? I think that’s just a shadow. Our testers found that all the oil incorporated with no separation.

      1. Thanks for your reply, Angie. Yes, around the edges of the mayonnaise in the bowl. I doubt that there would be a shadow on both sides, but maybe it’s just my eyes.

        1. That’s a good point, Rita. It is hard to tell, but we certainly didn’t have any issues with separation.

          1. I didn’t think there would be either. I’ve used the exact same method for many years and never had a problem with separation or breaking either.

            On a side note, I usually double the recipe with great success. Also, the mayonnaise keeps, refrigerated, for a lot longer than a week, but I see the need for caution because of the raw eggs.

            Perhaps the acid in the mix helps preserve the mayonnaise? An interesting idea to pursue some time. I’ll have to check to see if McGee has anything to say about that.

          2. Thanks, Rita! Great to know about the doubling. You might be on to something with the acid preserving the eggs, but as you say, we toe the party line when it comes to fresh mayonnaise, out of an abundance of caution.

          3. 5 stars
            Who’s to argue with the party line? 🙂 Safety first. Interesting discussion though. Thank you for taking the time.

          4. I do double batches too. It takes me a month or more to use it up but it keeps beautifully in the fridge.